Until next time....

Fighting an invisible enemy is always difficult and that’s what the world is going through right now. I am from the same world and I am standing up strong against the world’s enemy as are others. I am Rajesh Kumar and this is my story.

Into the last week of March, the government announced a total lockdown in the country and due to this many people especially daily wage migrant workers got stuck with no money to survive. I worked as a mason in a big company with a very small value for life. I was left with no earnings but a family to look after that was solely dependent on me. It was almost two months, the whole country was doing its best against this enemy but it was getting more & more difficult for people like me. With no proper food & water available, it was getting harder because no suffering is worse than the suffering caused by hunger. I had seen no vegetables for almost 60 days now. Would you consider just rice and salt as food? That’s what I ate once in every 2 days. I was all alone by myself living in a small room in the company itself where I worked. I know it is tough for the government to reach each and every person within the country but isn’t it their responsibility to look after every citizen of this country. The lockdown got extended while I kept losing hope to live with no money in hand. My family back there in Bihar was worried for me and my wife asked me to come back by any means possible. But there was no option of transport leaving only one option: walking. I thought of going to my native walking. With all the courage left and a mere 50 rupees in my pocket, I started a long journey from Mumbai to Bihar by foot. By the way, I stay in Adampur, a small village in Jamalpur, Bihar.

5th May- I started my journey at 3 am from LTT and with an unknowing fact that it was almost 2000 km to Jamalpur but a strong zeal to see my family gave me hope.Days had passed since I have seen my wife and my two little daughters, Sandhya and Radhika. Sandhya was 5 years old and Radhika was 3 years old. As I was walking, suddenly I saw a bunch of people distributing food. They gave me food irrespective of my religion and it showcased that humanity still exists. I was alone and full of fear but the love of my family kept me going. Now I had walked for almost 10 hours and it was 1 in the afternoon. I sat near the roadside and had my food; it was a nicely cooked khichdi. After resting for 2 hours I started walking again and reached a place near Bhiwandi, there I saw reporter standing to cover my story and convey it to the viewers. His first question was how I felt, till date I have not understood the answer to this question. After talking to him for some time I started my journey again and there were many other workers walking with me sharing a common goal to reach our native place. Since, I had been walking from morning with limited food and energy I decided to take a halt & slept by the side of the road. It was almost 1 at night.

6th May- When I got up in the morning, the sun was out and the workers were all ready to get started on the journey. I had a mobile phone but was of no use as it had no balance to communicate with my loved ones. Now you must be thinking that both he and his wife are having mobile phones, how come they are so poor that he has to walk all the way to Bihar. So let me explain. I had purchased a second hand phone from a friend for 500rs and my wife had got a phone during an election campaign and I don’t think so that there is a need of explaining that. With no food to eat I kept walking and as I was covering more distance the number of people helping the poor were decreasing. As I was walking alongside the road, a speeding vehicle hit me from the back causing serious injuries & a concussion. The pain was unbearable. It was almost evening by now and I got some water to drink and refill my bottle from an old lady staying right beside the highway. She was unable to help me with food as she was facing the same problem. Just by drinking some water I slept and prayed for tomorrow.

7th May- Within a walk of almost 2kms I got a pack of biscuit and water, thanks to the village people. They were really friendly & also they provided me with first aid. With a ray of hope I felt strength in my feet. I had almost reached Nasik Road.There a police officer helped me by letting me in one of the trucks, but the truck driver wasn’t that helpful. As soon as I sat in the truck he asked for money. As I had no money, I offered him my phone. With a small heart he accepted that. It was some kind of relief for me. But after some time, a check point came and he told me to get down and assured me a pickup at the next point which was almost 3 kms ahead. Somehow, I reached the next point but there was no truck waiting for me. I started crying & I was losing hope. My heart started pounding and I was on the road with no company. I kept on walking.

8th May- I cannot remember what happened with me and I was not in my proper mental state. I saw the police officers were shouting at me from far, so I changed my route and started walking on the railway tracks. Yes, it was dangerous, but fear was already dead inside me. If I was to die it would be better with my family. With almost no food for three days, I somehow kept on walking. On the railway tracks I got some water to drink which was being distributed by some workers. They told me that only a worker can understand the pain of another worker. By night I had no idea to where I was. One of the workers told me that it was Bhusaval.

9th May- The wound on my head was causing severe pain, but that was still bearable but what wasn’t was the thirst of food in my stomach. I know with each passing day the paragraphs are also getting shorter as it is getting tough to express in words and I will also not say that it is a journey to be remembered because there is nothing worth remembering. People always say that keep humanity above religion, but I would like to say that if you follow religion seriously then humanity lies within you. The same story, still no food. It was like a blackout in front of my eyes and I was sweating from head to toe.

10th May- One thing which I noticed throughout my journey that many people were out there to help let it be small or big, but they were not successful in reaching out to each one as it is humanly not possible. I saw a dead dog by the roadside, to survive & fill myself with energy I ate the dog’s raw meat but my body didn’t accept it. I vomited and fainted on the ground. After this, I slept peacefully.

11th May- In the morning I got an air-conditioned cab and within no time I was in Bihar. I was welcomed by the entire village like I was some hero. My family members started crying on seeing me wrapped in a white cloth and my daughters came running to me as if I had brought some kind of gifts for them. It was a peaceful day for me after so many days and yes, my family account was also credited with 5 lac rupees.

Thank you, it was lovely talking to you all.

Until next time…….